Two restaurants in Dublin are raising money for a homeless charity by giving out free burgers.
Bóbó's Burgers restaurants on Dame Street and Abbey Street have been giving away burgers since lunchtime until 6pm this evening to raise money for Focus Ireland.
"Focus Ireland works with people who are homeless or are at risk of losing their homes across Ireland", the restaurant said on their Facebook page. "Bóbós Burgers and Focus Ireland both believe that everyone has a right to a place they can call home and we campaign to address the causes of homelessness."
A spokesperson from the restaurant told Newstalk that the burger chain decided to hold the fundraising event because they they were helpless in assisting with the homeless situation.
"Homeless people come into the restaurants all the time, to use the bathroom or for other various reasons. We felt that there was not a whole lot people could do to help. So we decided to hold this event so people could donate."
As well as holding the free burger giveaway, the Dame Street outlet regularly donates food from incorrect orders to a Central Bank food drop-off. When asked what else businesses could be doing to help the homeless, Bóbos encouraged restaurants to donate leftover food.
Dublin Ink
Earlier this month, tattoo parlour Dublin Ink came under fire for installing and operating sprinklers used to deter homeless people from sleeping rough at their Temple Bar premises.
Shane Green, a staff member at Dublin Ink, told the Dublin Inquirer that the Temple Bar area requires constant policing. Bóbó's spokesperson said they were not fully up-to-date with the incident, but they were "50/50" about their feelings towards their actions.
"It's important to stress that not every homeless person is an alcoholic or has a drug problem, but there are a majority that are struggling with addiction. Our waitresses have experienced harassment from homeless people in isolated cases - one of them was even hit before.
"It's a very extreme measure but we understand how bad the situation is, particularly in the Temple Bar area. You have to protect your business at the end of the day."
